Clifton Springs is a picturesque village in the Finger Lakes Region. I'd heard about it and wanted to visit for some time, and I got my chance last fall.

My husband and I toured the village before going to lunch at Warfield's. There's a nice main street lined with small shops. One end is dominated by the former Clifton Springs Sanitarium, now Senior Citizen housing.

After a delicious lunch at Warfield's, we walked down to the Foster Cottage Museum. Dr. Henry Foster was the founder of Clifton Spring's "Water Cure", where clients would come to relax, un-stress, and bathe in the sulfur spring water. Thousands of people came from all over to benefit from the combination.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to stay as long as we wanted to, because we had an appointment at the Springs to try a sulfur bath for ourselves.

The Springs is located in a wing of the Clifton Springs Hospital Complex. We were greeted by Julie, who explained the process to us, and let us choose an essential oil for our bath. I chose a lemon essential oil, which is known to be energizing.

We were each shown to a medium-sized room with a large tub, chair, massage table and CD player. I turned on the music and soaked for about 20 minutes. Ahhhh!

Due to the high mineral content in the water, you can easily float in the water. It was easy to relax in the quiet room, with just the soothing music playing.

I have to tell you that I had previously injured my knee at the gym, and it was bothering me from all the walking. After the bath, it felt much better, and it continued to get better afterward. Julie also gave me some natural oil for my knee, which helped when it started hurting.

Val Knoblauch of the Finger Lakes Visitor Connection took us for a tour of the former sanitarium. In the chapel, there are several gorgeous stained glass windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The chapel was filled with friendly seniors enjoying a folk band. They really wanted us to stay - they kept saying, "Sit down and stay awhile!"

We stayed for a bit, but we had more places to explore in Clifton Springs. All in all, Clifton Springs - with The Springs, cute little shops, and the excellent food at Warfield's - was well worth waiting for.

Resources

For more information on the Clifton Springs area, visit: Visit the Finger Lakes.